The Quest For Happiness

Happiness

The quest to happiness is a long fork road but with the right map, you will find the gold at the end of the rainbow.

When people initially think of happiness, they typically think of a ripped masculine man or beautiful woman having a lot of money in the perfect relationship with the perfect job, and everything in their life is just perfect. This is the by-product of social media. Our modern world is a propaganda of as Donald Trump says "fake news."

We scroll through our Instagram feed, and it paints a manifestation that every person is in great shape, wealthy, successful, and are in a perfect relationship. However, this is a false accusation the plaintiff (social media) is using as evidence, and yet we as the jurors fall victim to this trap.

The reality is that most people are out of shape, in debt, and struggling to figure out what to do with their life.

Look at the statistics. Mental health and suicide rates are on the rise. Obesity is on the rise. Only 39% of Americans have at least $1,000 in their bank account.

This is the best time to be alive due to advancement in technology and medicine, yet how are these trends an epidemic?

I think the stem comes from overall happiness, or at least our distorted belief of what happiness really is.

If in fact our hypothesis is that money and fame is what makes us humans happy, how come famous people commit suicide? Why do they abuse substances? Why do they break up with their spouse or get divorced?

We can conclude that materialistic items are not the KEY to happiness.

So how can we be happy?

Mindset

Being content with where you are in life right now, and knowing where you need to go to improve your overall life is the basic foundation for happiness.

You can choose to be happy or not too no matter where you are in life right now. You are the pilot not the co-pilot of your mind.

Accept where you are now do not deny it. Do not live in a false sense of reality, and do not make excuses. Be in the present moment and find gratitude for what you do have.

This will lift a burden off your shoulders, and you will inevitably feel happier.

Remember you probably have a lot more to be thankful for than you realize. And where you are now is NOT permanent.

Gratitude

Find something to be thankful for. Gratitude will go a long ways in boosting your mood and overall happiness.

We must not drive through life with tunnel vision (as most Houstonians drive on the road lol), but we must open our eyes fully when traveling on the road of life. It is not until we do this that we see it's true beauty.

The small things in life are truly what matters the most dearly to our hearts at the end of the day.

Family and Friends

Having family and friends can make or break your happiness. Have gratitude for the family and friends that got your back no matter what. It is truly a gift that we should not take for granted.

"You are the average of the five people you spend your most time with." You might of heard this quote before, and it is stunningly true. If you are hanging around negative energy, and people that put you down all the time, then your happiness is going to suffocate.

Not only does hanging around negative people give you a negative outlook on life, but you are going to feel inferior to life.

Negative energy attracts negative energy. Positive energy attracts positive energy.

Spend time with quality people. People that you have fun with and make you feel good about yourself.

Be careful with who you allow in your social circe. Your social circle can be the dark horse to a tragic flaw, or they can be the birth of an adventurous life.

Pillars of Happiness

To improve the quality of your life, do not focus only on one pillar of life but balance multiple pillars in life. If you are the richest person in the world but also the most out of shape, you are going to be unhappy. The fittest person in the world with a financial crisis is going to be unhappy. Someone that hates their job or spouse but is a millionaire is going to be unhappy. You get the picture.

The point is that you need balance in life.

You cannot put all your marbles in one basket and expect to achieve happiness through that.

Happiness pillars to focus on: Health, Financial Stability, & Love

I say financial stability and not wealth because I do not think wealth will make you happy long-term. However, I do believe living comfortably will reduce the stresses in your life.

Personal growth in these areas will do wonders to your life. Setting goals and conquering them have a direct and positive correlation with your happiness.

Passions

Another thing that you can do to improve your happiness is focus on the things that make you happy. Is there a hobby that you do that you absolutely love?

When you are doing something, lose track of time, feel at inner peace, and are having a blast, then that means you are passionate about what you are doing. Do it more!

This will reduce your stress and make life a lot more tolerable.

It could be playing basketball, watching movies, writing, playing video games, traveling, etc. All that matters is that if it makes you happy then do it!

Another added benefit is that you will develop new skills and hone your existing ones. It's a win-win!

The Utopia World on Earth Does Not Exist

There are a lot of things that you can do to increase your happiness, but these principles will help substantially.

With that being said, there is no such thing as a perfect person or a perfect life. It does not matter how successful you become. Every endeavor you break through will have an anchor pulling you in the opposite direction.

Wherever life takes you whether good or bad, you will 100% have obstacles that you run into. I guess that is the universe's sly way of keeping us humble.

Life has all sorts of ugly, but it also has all sorts of beauty!

Do your best and forget the rest!

Enjoy the life you have and live your life no one else's!

Life can end in a blink of an eye, so do not sweat it too much. Just live.